{"id":21959,"date":"2026-09-29T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/?post_type=news&p=21959"},"modified":"2026-09-28T17:37:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T08:37:33","slug":"nippon-shokubai-enters-into-strategic-collaboration-with-purmx-therapeutics-on-drug-delivery-system-dds-material-fol-dab8-evaluating-the-potential-of-combining-fol-dab8-with-natur","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/news\/2026092921959\/","title":{"rendered":"Nippon Shokubai Enters into Strategic Collaboration with PURMX Therapeutics on Drug Delivery System (DDS) Material \u201cFol-Dab8\u201d -Evaluating the Potential of Combining Fol-Dab8 with Naturally Occurring microRNA for Novel Oligonucleotide Therapeutics-"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan; President & CEO: Kazuhiro Noda) has initiated a joint feasibility study with PURMX Therapeutics, Inc. (Head Office: Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan; President & CEO: Hidetoshi Tahara; hereinafter “PURMX”) to expand the application potential of its proprietary drug delivery system (DDS)*1<\/sup> material, Fol-Dab8 (folate-conjugated cationic peptide).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PURMX is developing oligonucleotide therapeutics based on naturally occurring microRNAs*2<\/sup> as active pharmaceutical ingredients. As oligonucleotides are susceptible to degradation in vivo and exhibit limited cellular uptake, effective DDS technologies are essential for delivering them to target cells. Through this collaboration, the two companies will evaluate the potential application of Fol-Dab8 to novel oligonucleotide therapeutics by combining it with PURMX’s proprietary naturally occurring microRNA technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conjunction with the launch of this collaborative study, Nippon Shokubai has made an equity investment in PURMX through a private placement. The investment amount and ownership stake will not be disclosed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background and Objectives of the Collaboration<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As part of its Healthcare Business, Nippon Shokubai operates a CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) business for oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics, with a strategic focus on DDS technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics, DDS technologies that can safely and efficiently deliver therapeutic agents to target tissues and cells are critical for successful clinical application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PURMX is a pioneer in the development of cancer therapeutics utilizing microRNAs as active pharmaceutical ingredients and possesses a proprietary drug discovery platform and pipeline based on technologies originating from Hiroshima University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this collaboration, Nippon Shokubai aims to further explore and demonstrate the potential of its DDS material Fol-Dab8. By applying complexes of Fol-Dab8 and naturally occurring microRNA to pharmaceutical development, the company seeks to enhance the value and applicability of this DDS material in the growing field of oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Features of Fol-Dab8<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Fol-Dab8 is a folate-conjugated cationic peptide developed as a targeting technology for tissues that highly express folate receptors. The technology was originally developed by Dr. Takeshi Wada of Tokyo University of Science and Dr. Keisuke Taniuchi of Kochi University, and Nippon Shokubai is advancing its development and application in oligonucleotide therapeutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • High Target Selectivity and Delivery Efficiency<\/strong>:Fol-Dab8 selectively targets tissues with high folate receptor expression, including difficult-to-treat cancers such as pancreatic cancer where effective treatment options remain limited. It enables efficient intracellular delivery of oligonucleotides.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Expanding Applications to Naturally Occurring microRNA<\/strong>:In addition to previous delivery studies involving conventional oligonucleotide therapeutics such as siRNA, this initiative will examine the applicability of Fol-Dab8 to naturally occurring microRNA, with the goal of creating new classes of oligonucleotide medicines utilizing the technology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Value Creation as a CDMO Partner<\/strong>:By combining its advanced synthesis, manufacturing, and analytical capabilities with cutting-edge DDS platform technologies, Nippon Shokubai aims to support pharmaceutical companies and biotech ventures worldwide in developing innovative therapies that address unmet medical needs*3<\/sup>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Future Outlook<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Nippon Shokubai will continue to maximize the synergies among its strategic focus areas of oligonucleotides, peptides, and DDS, while further strengthening its technological foundation and development support capabilities within its CDMO business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Through this collaboration, the company aims to contribute to the advancement of innovative therapeutic options for difficult-to-treat cancers. At the same time, Nippon Shokubai will continue providing flexible contract development and manufacturing services that meet the evolving needs of customers worldwide and contribute to supporting people’s health and lives and realizing a sustainable society through the stable supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Company Profile: PURMX Therapeutics, Inc.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Company Name<\/strong>: PURMX Therapeutics, Inc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Location<\/strong>: Hiroshima University Kasumi Campus,1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • President & CEO<\/strong>: Hidetoshi Tahara<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Business<\/strong>:\u00a0Research and development of oligonucleotide therapeutics utilizing naturally occurring microRNAs as active pharmaceutical ingredients<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Glossary<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      *1 Drug Delivery System (DDS)<\/strong>
      A technology that delivers pharmaceutical agents to the desired site in the body at the appropriate dose and timing. Oligonucleotides such as siRNA and microRNA are readily degraded in vivo and have limited cellular uptake. Therefore, DDS technologies are considered indispensable for safely delivering these molecules to target cells and achieving therapeutic efficacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      *2 microRNA<\/strong>
      MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules consisting of approximately 20 to 25 nucleotides that regulate the expression of other genes and thereby control a wide range of biological processes. They are naturally occurring nucleic acids produced in the human body, and approximately 2,600 different microRNAs have been identified to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      *3 Unmet Medical Needs<\/strong>
      Diseases or healthcare needs for which current medical technologies or available treatments provide insufficient solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan; President & CEO: Kazuhiro Noda) has initiat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"cat_news":[74],"class_list":["post-21959","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","cat_news-rd"],"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"link_type":"detail","contact_info":"cc","is_important":false,"is_show_top":false,"is_noindex":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/21959"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/21959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21987,"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/21959\/revisions\/21987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cat_news","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shokubai.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cat_news?post=21959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}